-Hey. Hey! Stay with me!
-I can't. I don't know anything.
-How did you meet her? -I don't -- Aah!
I don't know. -How did you meet her?!
-I don't know! -How did you meet her?
I don't know! They don't tell me anything.
-How did you meet her?!
-[ Crying ] They don't tell me. Let me go.
[ Gasps ]
-All right.
Fine, let's just do the interview.
-Okay.
-Take a sip from your soul
On a metaphysical milkshake
-Josh Radnor. -Rainn Wilson.
-Welcome to my van. -Thanks. Thanks for having me.
-Sorry about before. I just really wanted to know.
America really wanted to know. -Uh-huh.
No hard feelings. -Sorry about that.
As you know this van, it's a transcendent van.
We can go anywhere that your heart desires.
-Yeah. -Anywhere in the multiverse --
Where would you like to go?
-I would like you to get me home
without the horrible traffic I had getting here.
-Okay. -I would like to zip
over Los Feliz Boulevard... -Yeah.
-...over Beachwood Canyon and then for you to drop me down.
-Right down into Hollywood? Okay.
-Yeah. -Let's do it.
-Ha! -Thank you.
-Right? That feel good? -Thank you. Yeah, absolutely.
-You have written, directed, and produced
two independent movies.
-Yeah. -That's incredible.
I mean, "Happythankyoumoreplease,"
it's a really beautiful ensemble comedy.
And then, "Liberal Arts" -- Just a fabulous movie.
-Thanks -"Liberal Arts," where you play
a professor going back to a writer.
-No, I go back to see my professor.
-You go back to see your professor at the college,
and you fall in love with a young girl
who works at the university.
-No, she's a student. She's not a...
-Right, she's a student there. -Yeah.
-And you guys fall in love.
You run away together and decide...
-No. -...that college life isn't...
-No, no. No.
Did you see the mo-- -I didn't see your movie.
-Yeah, you didn't see it. -I didn't see the movie.
-That's not at all what -- -That's not the movie.
-It's because you didn't have time enough
to prepare for this interview. -No, I am totally unprepared
for this interview -No, I know, I know.
You would have watched it. -It's last-minute.
I'm going to watch it. "Liberal Arts."
-Yeah.
-[Snaps fingers] I read a thing that you had written
that I thought was really great, and it was about
being an actor may not -- or being well-known
for being an actor may not make you happy,
but it should make you much kinder.
-Mm. -So, explain that.
-Well, I was asked to write this essay by
the Los Angeles Times magazine.
It was called "Hollywood Rules."
Like, "What are your rules for making it in Hollywood?"
And the only thing that came to me was, "Be kind."
Like, that was it, you know? -Mm-hmm.
-And it just seems to me that
it's not just a Hollywood rule but a life rule.
That said, I always find it weird
when I hear stories about people who are super-successful
in whatever capacity who are just horribly cruel people.
I feel like the world is hurting for more kindness.
The culture feels a little coarse and cruel.
-Yeah, certainly in politics and the way our whole country is
being governed -- kindness just simply is seen
as a sign of weakness. -Yeah, and I feel like that's,
like, a really old story we have to retire
because if we're going to do anything,
like, move anything forward, it's gonna have to come
from compassion and kindness.
And so I wrote about just being kind generally,
like, no matter what.
But also, it kind of spun off
into this bigger metaphysical idea
of, you know, if we could think of our words as being,
you know, having some charge or heft,
that they go out in the world
and they actually trigger things, you know?
-So, the actual air that comes out.
-Yeah, it's like, it's like -- -The mean thing you might say --
-Is like air pollution, right? -The gossiper, the backbiting.
-Exactly, it's like eating through the ozone layer.
Like, it's actually like a kind of weird fusion
of environmentalism and spirituality
if you think about, like, your words going...
[ Imitates crunching ] you know, and affecting people.
You know when you walk into someone's house
and it's like there's kindness in the air,
and then you walk into another house and there's not?
Like you can feel these things, you know?
-I think you can. -You're not allowed to talk
about this in polite company, but I think you can.
-Yeah, you could talk about it on "Metaphysical Milkshake."
-That's why I'm talking about it.
-'Cause It's metaphysical, yo. -And we are the only ones
who are gonna see this, right? [ Gum balls rattle ]
-Want a gum ball? -Yeah.
Do I need a coin?
-Yeah. I don't have a coin.
Anyone have a coin?
Okay, life's big questions -- lightning round.
[ Thunder crashes ]
Would you rather be happy or content?
-Content. -Why?
-'Cause I think happiness sometimes has, like,
a euphoric thing that you pay for
with, like, despair when it goes away.
-Like a sugar rush. -Yeah, where I feel like
contentment is a kind of inner, tranquil, peaceful thing
that doesn't necessarily have an opposite.
-Define love in 10 words or less
-That which gets you out of your head.
-You got two words left. You want to use them?
-No.
-What is the purpose of your life?
-Personally, I think we're here to kind of transcend our egos
and wake up.
-"Transcend our egos and wake up."
-Yeah, get out of the madness. -I like that.
-Should we clone human beings?
-I think not.
-What's your life's big question that you wrestle with?
-Well, right now it's how to not apologize for sincerity.
-Cow, soy, almond, or hemp?
-Almond.
-I wanted to ask you about meditation.
You have a meditation practice. -Yeah.
-That's cool. Tell me about it.
-I have a very active mind.
-Mm-hmm. -I just think that a lot
of what your mind offers up
for your consideration is nonsense -- a lot of it.
And it's just repeated, kind of anxiety stuff.
-I like how in Buddhism they call it the monkey mind.
-Yeah, it is the monkey mind, you know?
-Just thoughts bouncing around. -Yeah and --
-Eating bananas and throwing poop.
-It's in the midst of that. It's a real challenge.
So, I have to work at it every day.
It's not super-sexy.
It's just being quiet for a little bit of time
and then trying to hold on to some of that inner awareness
as you go out in your day.
-During your day. -Yeah.
-I compare meditating to working out.
Like, you never feel like doing it.
-Right. -But if you get up
and even just do it for a little bit of time,
it will affect your whole day in a positive way.
I just feel better. -Right.
And it's weird that you know that
and still there's that thing that -- Yeah.
-Just constantly. -I also think you can almost,
like, have a conversation with the resistance
and be like, "Why are you trying to get me to not do something
I know is good for me," you know?
And instead of thinking of it as, like, you,
it's like looking at it and going, "Knock it off."
-I like that -- "a conversation with your resistance."
You know what? This might be a good challenge.
YouTubers, SoulPancakers, film yourself --
This is good. -Yeah?
-Film yourself having a conversation
with your resistance... -Ooh.
-...the resistance that is against you doing
something good for yourself. Film it --
You're going to look like a crazy person, but it's okay.
Upload it here, and Josh and I are going to watch every video.
-Oh. -You promise?
-Yeah, all right. Let's do it. -Okay? We're gonna to do it.
We're gonna to do it together, and we're going to hold hands.
-[ Chuckles ] -Boom.
And I just got one last question for you before you go.
How did you meet their mother? Aah!
-SoulPancake
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